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Friday, October 5, 2012

Some (delayed) Thoughts on the New Bloc Party..

In a
perfect world, I would be getting ready to go to a Bloc Party concert instead
of sitting here blogging about the new Bloc Party album but alas!Such is life.We were going to go but then we did the maths: tickets +
petrol + tolls + accommodation + entertainment = way too much cash money in a
month already filled with expenses.
Anyway, because I can’t be there, here are my belated thoughts on the
new album, Four. Which I LOVE! It's back to the original Bloc Party sound, the post-punk Silent Alarm sound. I don't know how many of you follow Bloc Party with any kind of interest but after Silent Alarm, they seemed to change direction. Weekend in the City and Intimacy both made a move to a more electronic sound which, despite the not so favourable reviews, I really liked. Then there were the rumours of a break up and I had pretty much given up hope on a new album until pictures appeared on Facebook of them in the studio.

Kele Okereke has said that the inspiration for this album was the "raw stripped down sound of Nirvana's Bleach." There are no electronic noises, no synths, just tons of loud, rowdy guitars, jittery drums and the awesome lyrics that made me such a huge Bloc Party fan to start with. I was pleasantly surprised at how heavy some of the tracks are. There are times where this album makes me think of old MUSE and other times, Biffy Clyro. Kettling even has shades of the Pumpkins hidden inside it.

I am so glad that they have gone back to their roots! My favourite track by far is Coliseum. It starts slowly, almost bluesy and then just kicks into overdrive. It also has some of my favourite lyrics on the album: "Pain is hopeful, pain is holy, pain is helpful, pain heals."

And there you have it! Here's a pretty good review if you are interested to know more. Anyone else been listening to this album? Thoughts?